Setting a new trend!

[xxxturbo6]

Thanks for the updates Brian!! Looks like the Fairlane made it and you guy's are having a blast!!

Scot W.

[Bill Howell]

Too much to do in the last couple days for updates. We got all the cars into the show, cleaned and ready for the opening day tomorrow. More great news too, Alberts car is in the optima Challenge now, actually both of his cars are. One is on the way from Canada as I type this. Cool deal for him to get in last minute. I will try to get some good pictures of all the cars sitting on the floor tomorrow.

[TonyHuntimer]

Sunday morning we spent several hours knocking 2000 miles worth of grime from the cars before taking them in for the show. This is from the top floor of the parking garage.

Nothing like detailing a car in the direct Las Vegas sun...burning your skin.

[rogue]

I love that you guys are doing this....

[thedodgeboys]

So what does it really take to get into the optima Challenge ?

[JEFFTATE]

This thread is sooooo cool !
I should have gone !!
Maybe next year...

You guys got to see Windslow Arizona , Route 66 , and Albequerque !!
Those are famous places !!

You guys know that this sort of thing is right up my alley ..
I was just out of vacation days or I would have gone..

[tazzz25906112]

This thread is sooooo cool !
I should have gone !!
Maybe next year...

You guys got to see Windslow Arizona , Route 66 , and Albequerque !!
Those are famous places !!

You guys know that this sort of thing is right up my alley ..
I was just out of vacation days or I would have gone..

It would have been cool to have you here with us bud.....

Getting things ready and such has been such a crazy bussy time but I hope to get over to the show floor this afternoon and will take pic's and post as soon as possible...

[KEISLER]

Here's one during the run to Flagstaff Arizona. Very dramatic change in scenary over a short period of time.

[KEISLER]

There was a massive mudslide on I40 that we actually drove through. Others behind us were not as fortunate, and a pileup occurred shutting down I40 at Cold Hill Arkansas, near Little Rock. It didn't reopen until Friday afternoon.

Thick mud covered the entire underbody of our cars and the engine compartment. The lights went dim from mud piling up on the lamps.

Here is a pic from the news press. Also that night, a train with 20 cars due to a mudslide covering the tracks. Tough night! But we made it through, and didn't even stop until it was time to refuel.

[KEISLER]

I was driving Albert's '70 Formula while he took this picture of the crew.

[Bill Howell]

OK, update from the road trip guys.
First, we have a couple more in the group now. Yancy's Fairlane is in the pack, plus Albert's white 72 that was at the event yesterday. Sadly, it is on a trailer as the engine is in pieces after shall we say an OH ***** moment....
The charger is in the trailer too. As those that were at the event know, we had issues with a upper control arm. Not so much issues, the piss poor weld broke in two places and damaged my fender. We found a machine shop that put it back together but the car is pulling hard to the left now and frankly I don't trust the other upper control arm so I made the decision to trailer it home after much ado. Thanks so much to Kyle Tucker for the offer to borrow some of his pieces and to Mike Norris and John Parsons for running the carnage to the machine shop to get it back together so we could at least load the car.
Other than that, great week, great times at the challenge and we are heading east as I type this. We will probably make Albuquerque (sp?) tonight and just have 1400 miles left.....argh.
Fun times guys, everyone needs to do this once. I can not wait til the next trip...

[Motown 454]

Even with the troubles ,I'm glad you guys had a good time.

[coolclassiccars]

bill, sorry to hear about your control arm failure.was wondering whose arms they were ?

[Bill Howell]

bill, sorry to hear about your control arm failure.was wondering whose arms they were ?

There are a couple threads online about the build. I will not post the manufacter here until after I talk to them in the morning and get an answer on what they intend to do about the problem. They are supposed to have the best stuff out there and well tested, but I guess I test harder than they do. I had completed the track and autocross just before I broke during the 0-60-0 test. I am just glad it broke at 2 mph instead of the 125 or so I had done on the road course. pretty scary when you think about it.

[thedodgeboys]

There are a couple threads online about the build. I will not post the manufacter here until after I talk to them in the morning and get an answer on what they intend to do about the problem. They are supposed to have the best stuff out there and well tested, but I guess I test harder than they do. I had completed the track and autocross just before I broke during the 0-60-0 test. I am just glad it broke at 2 mph instead of the 125 or so I had done on the road course. pretty scary when you think about it.

Bill so sorry that you broke I hope they stand behind it and make it right for you.
I thought their stuff was supposed to be road race ready and for what they charge for that stuff it should hold up to a little spirited driving.
Please let us know what they say.

[dropit69]

Damn Bill that sucks..guess it wasnt made for the way you drive or the TN hills..lol..sounds like you all had a great time..drive safe my friends !!

[lawbreaker2]

Cool pic's guy's but alot of them did not come in on my puter. And as far as running cross country, Use to do this every week from cleveland oh to L.A. and back Leave Cleveland on Fri. in L.A. on Mon. morrning and back by Fri. for a week off and do it all over again, Still miss it. Do it all over again. So much to see and do and places to stop, Sad that I know every bump and turn in the road and the places to stop and eat and sleep. One of these days I will do this again but in my GTO or T/A.

[Bill Howell]

Damn Bill that sucks..guess it wasnt made for the way you drive or the TN hills..lol..sounds like you all had a great time..drive safe my friends !!

LOL Darrin, yeah I guess my R and D testing was a bit more rigid....

[lawbreaker2]

Any chance these road trip pic's will be put up on a website somewhere Like photobucket or something. Cuz Like I said a bunch did not work for me and I could not see them. Thanks.

[OLDFLM]

Sorry to hear about all the carnage and your A-arm failure my friend but at least no one was hurt... and we all had a hell of alot of fun!!